MEMO

Healthsouth Rehabilitation Center of Cape Girardeau has relocated its outpatient facility to Lorimont Place, 240 S. Mount Auburn Road.

Lorimont, Cape Girardeau's newest professional and retail center, is between Doctors' Park and West Park Mall.

Healthsouth, which provides general and specialized orthopedic rehabilitation outpatient care, fitness training, custom splinting and sports-medicine services, will occupy about 11,000 square feet at Lorimont.

Tom Kelsey, Lorimont general manager, arranged the lease transaction.

Healthsouth, headquartered at Birmingham, Ala., has about 300 facilities in the U.S. Scott Christ is administrator of its Cape Girardeau, Dexter and Carbondale, Ill., facilities.

A Missouri industry has signed a new work contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau and representatives of the industry, Poly Systems Inc. of Steelville, met Friday to announce the NASA contract.

Jerry Levingston, president of the company, said passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and continued support from Emerson helped the company land the account at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The account will exceed $250 million this year.

Poly Systems custom fits ends of polyethylene pipe, a patented process adaptable in the rehabilitation of original highway culverts, sewers, storm drains and irrigation systems.

Lower tariffs due to NAFTA have allowed the company to obtain piping from Canada at a more affordable price.

The contract with NASA calls for the rehabilitation of piping that lines the space center's highways, tarmacs and runways.

The NASA order could translate into more work for Poly Systems with NASA and other government facilities and bases, said Emerson.

Spartech Corp., which includes two operations in Cape Girardeau -- Resin Exchange in Nash Road Industrial Park and Atlas Alchem Plastics, One Atlas Drive -- reported record sales and earnings for both its third quarter and the first nine months of fiscal 1994.

Third-quarter net earnings were $3.1 million, up 70 percent from the $1.8 million of the same quarter a year ago. Sales were $69.8 million during the quarter, up 39 percent from the $50.2 million a year ago.

It translates into 28 cents primary and 13 cents fully diluted earnings per share, up from 15 cents primary and 8 cents fully diluted earnings a year ago.

Net earnings for the first nine months of fiscal 1994 were $8 million, or 70 cents primary and 34 cents fully diluted earnings per share. That compares with $4.8 million net earnings for the first nine months of 1993, or 39 cents primary and 22 cents fully diluted earnings per share.

"Spartech Plastics, our rigid-sheet and rollstock group, continues to enjoy one of its busiest and most profitable years in history, with sales up 43 percent during the third quarter," said Bradley B. Buechler, Spartech president and chief executive officer. "Sales within our merchant compounding group were also up slightly during the quarter."

Hayti Mayor David Humes has been elected chairman of the Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission.

Other officers elected during the July meeting were Bill Johnson, Malden, secretary; Minor Mayor L.F. Wheeler, vice chairman; and East Prairie Administrator Kathie Simpkins, treasurer.

A number of job-creation projects are under way in the Bootheel. Infrastructure work at Vess Bottling Co. in Sikeston is complete, and work has started on a rail spur. Construction is under way at the New Madrid County Port.

Chaffee has requested an infrastructure grant for street and water extensions in its industrial park for a proposed MFA fertilizer plant and Kennett has submitted an infrastructure grant for two industries in that city's industrial park.

The Southeast Missouri Local Elected Officials Association, comprised of officials from 21 Bootheel cities, has finalized plans for the annual Industry Day Sept. 27 at Bernie.

The program will start at 2 p.m. at the Bernie High School gymnasium with booth displays by each community featuring industries and industrial sites. Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson will be guest speaker at a 6 p.m. dinner.

Goal of the association is to foster econmomic development and growth in the area by preserving and creating jobs.

Interco Inc. plans to spin off Florsheim Shoe Co., founded in Chicago in 1892, into a separate, publicly-traded company.

Interco bought Florsheim, which makes men's dress and casual shoes, in 1953.

Florsheim shoes are sold in 625 Sears, Roebuck and Co. stores and in 250 of its own stores, mostly in malls. It has renovated half of its own stores since last year and plans to renovate the rest within 18 months.

Florsheim, the smallest of Interco's divisions, reported earnings of $29.9 million on sales of $299.6 million last year.

Interco also plans to sell about 16 percent of athletic-shoes maker Converse Inc. It plans to keep two furniture businesses, Broyhill Furniture Industries Inc., and Lane Co. Inc.

The moves are subject to regulatory review and final approval by the boards of the three operating companies.